This comparison is strictly for the Standard Disney Dining Plan, which consists of 1 table service meal, 1 quick service meal, and 2 snack credits. Now I know this probably isn't like other lists you may have seen, and my points do require some explanation. These are very specific to our family, so keep that in mind!

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Let's talk pros first. The one thing I absolutely love about the Dining Plan is that it gives you total peace of mind for dining while you are at Disney World, if you have planned correctly. We were able to not pay anything out of pocket (aside from the pre-paid plan) our last trip because I had planned breakfast, lunch, and dinner by the credit. If you are smart, you will use those snack credits for breakfast! When you book your package you are able to add on the Dining Plan and pay it out with the rest of the trip. For me, I am more at ease making a payment of a couple hundred dollars every month for the whole trip, than I am getting a bill for $300 at a character buffet! I know that if I was having to pay on-site for food, I would be the penny pincher that I naturally am and not get what I want. On the Dining Plan however, your 12 year old can get a New York strip and you don't have to spaz!

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The second perk is the versatility. You can use snack credits for breakfast, or if you aren't a morning person, then you can use them for late night snacks or candy in the gift shops (great souvenirs!).  One great example: the majority of our group was planning to eat at Flame Tree BBQ in Animal Kingdom for lunch, three of our kiddos did not want BBQ. Down from Flame Tree is a little place called Eight Spoons Cafe which serves awesome mac 'n cheese for 1 snack credit! My kids were able to trade in their quick service meal for 3 snack credits, enabling them to get two portions of mac 'n cheese and a drink. That comes out to about $15, which is a good use of credits! 

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Lastly, the Dining Plan is just easy to use, especially if you have done your research and know how to maximize each credit. I'll talk more about that later. Each magic band has access to the dining credits, all of them, so watch your kids' swiping! It really is convenient though if you have older kids like we do. They are able to grab their own breakfast from the food court at the hotel, or the snack cart in the park. It's handy to not have to drag the whole crowd over so you can swipe your band, or have to entrust them with money. I do strongly suggest reading a few articles on how to get the best use of the dining plan, this will make it easier on you while you are on vacation!

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Now on to the cons, please keep in mind this may not be applicable for your family. Lots of variables factor into this, children's age, pickiness of eaters, making sure we get the best bang for our buck, etc.

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We have found on our past two trips that the Dining Plan is just too much food for our family. We were NEVER hungry! In fact, on our last trip we canceled our character buffet at The Crystal Palace because no one was hungry. Did it kill me inside a little, yes it did. Mainly because we wasted a table service credit on a quick service meal, meaning instead of eating the $50 buffet, we had a $15 dollar meal at Columbia Harbor House....and we didn't get to meet the cast of Winnie the Pooh. I have since recovered, barely, ok I am still bitter about it. But I say all that to say, know how much and when your family will want to eat. Our first trip these character buffets were so worth it because they are such an easy way to meet characters and that wa some of my kids' favorite parts. Unfortunately on our second trip, the novelty of the character buffet had worn off and my crew was tired of mini corn dogs and mashed potatoes (all but me and my daughter are picky eaters). The next time we go to Disney we are going to give the quick-service meal plan a go, because we have honestly had better quick service meals than table service. 

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Secondly, it's just not cost efficient for our kids. 11 yrs and up are counted as adults, which raises the cost significantly. My 11 and 12 year old daughters still prefer the food on the kids menus, so it's really hard for my frugal brain to justify what they eat. I find I try to coax them to get the expensive thing on the menu. I haven't quite decided if the peace of mind outweighs the not really saving money...

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And finally, the buffets are just too similar. For me, it's not a problem, I like a wide variety of food, so I can always eat different items. But, again my family prefers the mini corn dogs, macaroni, and chicken nuggets. While there is variety on the adult side of the buffet, the kid's is always the same. And seeing as how my husband prefers the kid side, the buffets get old for him really quick. The solution to this is obviously to stop eating at character buffets, I just loved the idea of really getting my money's worth! But there are several other great table service options, we really loved Liberty Tree Tavern at Magic Kingdom. Learn from my mistakes and don't make every table service meal a buffet!